Note: Junek will be classified as a professional poker player in WSOP records, since he plays full-time.

INTERVIEW WITH THE WINNER

(Note that English is the second language of Mr. Junek.)

Question: Please tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into poker?

Junek: At first, I started to play poker a lot with my friends at school. And after that, I started to play online. That did not go so well. After that, I returned to live tournaments. And I won—in Czech Republic—some medium (level) tournaments; it’s for, I don’t know, about $3,000. I deposit to online, and I started multi-table tournaments on the Internet. And I was quite successful. I started getting a coach from Czech Republic, as well. And he really improved my game. And after that, I get an opportunity to fly to Las Vegas and to play in World Series and I took it. Now I’m here. I got the bracelet.

Question: Did it make a big difference in the Czech Republic when Martin Staszko made it to the Main Event and finished in second?

Junek: I don’t know what happened in Czech Republic. But some people called me, and they told me it was in the newspaper and in TV. Yeah, maybe. But I don’t know really what’s happening in Czech Republic.

Question: So, you don’t live in the Czech Republic anymore?

Junek: I live here. I am in Las Vegas for a month. I don’t what’s now happening at home.

Question: What tournaments do you think you’ll play for the rest of the year?

Junek: Actually, I don’t know. I don’t plan to play the Main Event because we’re leaving Las Vegas the seventh of July. I don’t know. If I play Main Event, then I have to cancel this flight. So, it’s complicated. But is it possible that I play Main Event and maybe some tournament of EPT. Maybe Prague. We will see.

Question: This is your first WSOP. What made you decide to come this year?

Junek: Yeah, my friend, he got a group of people, and we play in mostly sit-and-goes. And yeah, it’s mostly sit-and-goes and the four-day event. It’s the smaller of WSOP event, and I final tabled it at the last one.

Question: How many events did you play at this year’s WSOP?

Junek: I don’t know exactly, but I think it’s five or six. I play a couple of $1,000 events and a couple of $300, maybe $500.